Dear listfriends,
In 1996 I have been 4 times in Israel with a total of 10 weeks. I was the
guest of an Israelian family and I have learned quite a few things about the
country that normally is not shown to the outside world. I have been
wandering a whole day through the Israel Museum. I have been working on a
database viewer and learned a lot about this dynamic country.
Good things and unfortunately also bad things. The good things are major in
quantity and quality. It is a country of enormous contrasts. Energy of the
people against energy of the sun, where the people gain the desert from the sun.
Religious and non-religious. Very old buildings and villages are accompanied
by huge modern skyscrapers. The traffic is very dangerous; the drivers are
terribly bad and the roads too small for that many cars. About 7 million
people in a very small country and the population is still growing.
The country is very beautiful with treasures from the ancient time very well
kept. Israel is a country full of contrasts. I have never seen so many
building cranes. New buildings are built day and night. Jaffa, Tel-Aviv,
Ramat Chen, and several other cities all the way to Naftanya, make this part
of the country to one big city. The rest of the flat part of the country is
highly cultivated.
The eastern part is, what I think, the most beautiful part, with Jerusalem
and all the other places mentioned in the Holy Books. Very hard working
people with a high grade of womans participation results in a high level of
life-standard.
The safety is rather high because the presence of the army and the high
security level. Soldiers serve their country (men 3 years, woman 2 years)
with great honour. The soldiers have several privilges.
I wrote several poems in Israel, i'll put 2 in here :
about the language
Hebrew
.
.
A language is to communicate,
each day people use it to :
tell each other when and who,
is meeting people or who has a date.
.
The languages I know start at the left.
The languages I understand use the alphabet.
So not does Hebrew, it gets me real upset,
new sounds I don't understand, wrong start, I'm sa(i)d.
.
Ten weeks I heard the singing sounds,
of Hebrew which writing starts at the other side,
so from here you should force me to different write,
with characters I don't know how to pronounce.
.
It looks to me, as the writing of a child of three:
just curls and signs, not knowing where to start,
or to write, how to speak or to tell what.
That's the way the Hebrew language looks to me!!
.
Happily for me they do speak of "besseder",
and are "yediduty" to my although I'm a "Zar".
Can you still follow me so far?
I will continue, but will not make it better.
.
.right the from writing start will I
.side other the from reading start please So
,like I ,because it do really should you Yes
?right I am ;is it difficult how you show To
.
,worse it make words these how Some
,ani and lechaim besseder ,Keen
,read can you so writing still I'm And
.source the as end will I So ,use I words The
.
No I won't do it because I don't know,
how to write it or to speak
So, Hebrew or English, if you still seek
For the right language : THAT I didn't show!
.
.
Kees Paap
december 20, 1996.
and about the country:
Tiberias/Kinnereth
.
.
Two languages, two names, totally different,
English spoken all over the world, and Hebrew,
spoken by ppl from all over the world here,
living together in the land of milk and honey.
Visiting the lake of Tiberias, I was wondered,
what was it all about? was it the same old money?
.
High are the mountains around the glittering lake,
high is the standard of technology of this nation,
low is the level of the lake in its eternal black.
Low is the tolerance, but they can't affort a mistake,
after living for years on a beautiful location,
with a neighbour who waits for the moment to attack.
.
The wind blows the heat from the east to Gods land,
the sun adds energy to it, and warms the wanting soil,
the peace looks so close on the beach of kinnereth,
where children are playing in the water that ends,
where rocks are laying, where old people spoil,
the last days of their life : has Christoffer success?
.
The beauty of this country is lived by a few tourists,
and by real lovers of the nature and soon they wil see :
a new desert, made of brick, glass and concrete,
homes for millions of people from all over this.
Gathering here in the desert for their Massada? and me?
What I will do? join in their behaviour? no, I can't compete.
.
.
Kees Paap
October 7, 1996
and (I know it tis nr 3; you can skip it:))
The Pilot
.
.
The computer can do it by itsown,
controls, speed, fuel, height all's shown.
Also the pilot can put it on the ground,
"to keep in practice, to make the sound,
of the landing on the lane", "that's the sport"!
"Sure", sighs the hostess, "he is bored!"
"And what we think?, that has never scored!",
said the landingwheel", when with a smack,
the plands lands and the landingswheel says : "crack".
The passengers wildly, but most of all relieved,
applauds for the pilot, and everybody believed,
that is was a perfect landing, but in their hearts they know,
it's not the sport, or keep in practise; it's just the show!
.
.
Kees Paap
december 22, 1996
greetings from a misty Holland
Kees
